Sunday, December 12, 2004

Crazy James Bond Stuff

Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin, doctors said Saturday, adding that the highly toxic chemical could have been put in the opposition leader's soup, producing the severe disfigurement and partial paralysis of his face.

The massive quantities of dioxin in Yushchenko's system caused chloracne, a type of adult acne produced by exposure to toxic chemicals, said hospital dermatologist Hubert Pehmberger.

Not the Clearasil kind of acne, either. The dude's face looks like it was carved up with a light saber.

Dioxins are chemical by-products from factories that use chlorine, or from incinerators. Low doses accumulate in the body, mostly through food. High doses can be fatal.

Yushchenko, who faces Viktor Yanukovych on Dec. 26 in a rerun of a disputed presidential runoff, has claimed that he was poisoned by Ukrainian authorities, who deny the charges.

You're kidding me. Really?

Yushchenko's people claim that their man was poisoned...via a bowl of soup.